The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-04-16
THE DANCE OF DEATH
Which Brought Back Life to g
Beautiful Bride.

Philander Darby entered the reading
room of the club. At the granite threshold
OF the building he had hesitated, but the
power of habit is strong and for five years
it had been his habit to spend from one tC
three hours daily in the luxurious apart
ments set apart for the choice spirits com.
posing the club.
He had hesitated on this occasion, not be.
cause he had ever failed in being a wei.
come accession to the groups of young
men usually to be found engaged in the oc-
equations of the place, but, without doubt,
because of the unusual circumstances envi-
roning his own personality. For the fact
49, twas the morning of Darby's marriage
day.
That evening the multiform benefactions
Of the gods to him were to be crowned by
the gift of a wife of his own hearts choos-
ing. Under these circumstances, there
FORE it was perhaps natural that the bride
groom-elect should have hesitated to brave
the attention his presence was sure to call
forth IN the rooms of the club. Luckily
when he entered there were not half a
dozen fellows present, and these were in a
group at one of the tables, evidently en-.
crossed in the discussion of some subject
calculated to divide interest with the topic
consciousness of the new arrival.
They were highbred young bloods. those
Of the Jockey Club. The courtesy of their
greeting to Darby may have been trife
more pronounced than usual-that was all.
Not the lift of an eyelid, as they made room
for him, betrayed cognizance of the happy
destiny they knew to be imminent for him.
His best man expectant, Hardin Golden,
displayed admirable finesse in setting all
parties at ease.
1--WE have just been discussing the freal,
Of fate which has victimized poor Darrow,n
he said addressing Darby.
"Darrow-what of him."
"Man alive! Have you not heard! Why,
the morning papers are full Of the shock
ing occurrence"
"The papers 1 have neglected to look into
II have been otherwise engaged STAN
mercd Darby.
Hardin nodded.
understand. Well, barrow, poor fel-
low, met with an awful death last evening" y
at can't be possible! Why, 1 walked
with him on Carleton Terrace as late as
six o'clock, and when parted with him he
sold me he was going directly home"
Eyes. Yet it was not two blocks distant
from the terrace where he was tripped by
the trailing loop of a telegraph wire. As
tate would have it, at the same moment
there was train running at full speed
upon the elevated road above; the buffer
caught in the wire, and the locomotive
rushed on, dragging the coils in which Oar
row, poor devil, was being tossed like a
shuttlecock. Over and over he was whirled,
till the wire broke, and he was dropped into
IN obscure street, mangled and lifeless"
Darby shivered; he made no comment. Ii
was an awful story to have heard on his
bridal morning. How might a mortal bride
Fate who rode as in the car of Juggernaut.
grinding out the lives of the happy and
wretched alike?
The tiippancy of Bret Cosby Jared upon
his mood.
sit strikes me that's about the style
deaths adopted these latter days. com.
mented that young fashionable, breaking
the silence He's an ill-mannered mon.
ster, that's not got the politeness of a French
dancing-master when he pounces upon and
waltzes off to destruction with fellow, aa
he's done with barrow"
"Fdtd vidm UVenient," muttered Grantley.
S'There were Giles, Fleming and Hoyt as
well as barrow"
There was an uncomfortable pause The
SIdBlC uSdJuS WElCu ndu DeIallcn the quar-
tet of their members in the last eighteen
months were not enlivening events to re-
vert to.
''The mare that broke Jennings neck had
been landed but week in the country from
Arabia said Bret Cosby; zone would
think she had crossed continents and seas
spurred off the three hateful hays, SC
speedily did she accomplish Jennings doom
en- her arrival"
''The fate that overlook Tom Giles was
not less strange" commented Hardin; ''it
was chance in thousand. To be struck
at a distance of fifty feet, by pin from q
passing locomotive is to me the very irony
OF fate "
The attempt at pleasantly evoked but a
feeble smile. The subject was one that
struck uncomfortably upon the nerves Of
the group.
Golden shook himself together. 'It would
be the splitting Of a hair to me-" he said
'cynically, "to make choice between the bolt
of iron and the bolt + electricity that killed
Hoyt 1t was hard for a fellow to be done
to death by u charge of lightning wher
there was not cloud in the sky"
"Hoyt had been warned not to touch thu
Battery wires, interposed Harston.
Grantlev shrugged his shoulders.